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1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of automobile seats, and more particularly is directed to a strap apparatus used to secure a child car seat to an automobile seat.
2. Description of the Related Art
Children require furniture that is modified for a child""s anatomical characteristics, so that the child is safe and secure when placed in a seat or bed. One example of such furniture is a seat adapted for transporting a child in an automobile. It is well known that a parent or guardian is legally required to secure a child in a child car seat when transporting the child in an automobile. The main purpose of the child car seat is to provide a seat belt modified for a child""s anatomy, so that the child is secured in the event of an automobile crash, when the momentum from the moving automobile is transferred to the unsecured bodies within the automobile.
A conventional child car seat is designed to detachably connect to an automobile passenger seat. The attachment of the conventional child car seat to the automobile passenger seat is through cooperation between structures both on the child car seat and on a conventional seat belt found on the automobile passenger seat. The conventional child car seat is formed with structures for receiving the conventional seat belt in a manner that secures the conventional child car seat in a position relative to the automobile passenger seat.
Specifically, the conventional child car seat has guides to restrain the conventional seat belt. One pair of belt restraining guides receives the conventional seat belt for positioning the conventional child car seat in the forward-facing orientation and another set for the rearward-facing orientation, relative to the automobile passenger seat. Typically, belt restraining guides are formed as openings through a region of the conventional child car seat during the injection-molding process.
The conventional seat belt on the automobile passenger seat has a conventional seat belt fastener. The conventional fastener is formed by a press-release buckle component on one portion of seat belt that receives a tongue component on another portion of seat belt. A belt length adjuster included on the buckle design permits a user to alter the length of the seat belt.
In the operation of the conventional child car seat, the child car seat is first positioned in either the forward-facing or rearward-facing orientation, relative to the automobile passenger seat. Then, one portion of the seat belt existing on the automobile passenger seat is threaded through either set of belt restraining guides. Next, the fastener component on the threaded portion is engaged to the other fastener component to secure the child car seat on the automobile passenger seat. Finally, the seat belt length is adjusted to tighten down the child car seat on the automobile passenger seat.
Recent law requires child car seats to include a permanently attached, separate installation belt for installing the child car seat on the automobile passenger seat. The separate installation belt does not attach to the conventional seat belt on the automobile seat. Rather, the separate installation belt has fasteners, requiring the automobile to have cooperating members to which the fasteners reversibly attach.
The separate installation belt ensures that the parent or guardian has a completely functional unit for installing the child car seat and is not deterred from properly installing the child car seat by the process associated with using the conventional seat belt as the installation belt. The process associated with using the conventional seat belt as the installation belt includes the steps of locating the conventional seat belt, adjusting the length, threading it through the desired set of restraining guides, and again adjusting the length to tighten down the child car seat on the automobile seat.
As a solution to the requirement for a permanently attached, separate installation belt, prior art designs attach an installation belt to each of the belt restraining guides. If the conventional child car seat has one set of belt restraining guides for the forward-facing orientation and another set for the rearward-facing orientation, then two installation belts must be permanently attached to the child car seat. This is because each installation belt has a specific length for positioning the child car seat in a respective orientation. A user is not permitted to simply remove the installation belt from permanent attachment to the set of belt restraining guides and alter the belt length for use in the other set of belt restraining guides, as such task requires detachment of the installation belt from the child car seat. Using two installation belts results in an added expense over using the seat belt existing on an automobile passenger seat.
Prior art designs have included child car seats having installation belts that thread through restraining guides for forward-facing or rearward-facing orientation with respect to the automobile passenger seat, or may include the permanent attachment of the installation belts to the child car seat. Examples of such designs are shown in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,310 B1 issued Feb. 27, 2001 to Batalaris et al. on a xe2x80x9cChild car seat adapted for frontward and rearward facing configurationsxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,087 issued Jan. 25, 2000 to Anthony et al. on a xe2x80x9cChild restraint with a rotary couplingxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,654 issued Aug. 25, 1998 to Stroud on a xe2x80x9cBelt buckle/tether strap for a booster car seatxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,982 issued on Nov. 9, 1999 to Nakagawa on a xe2x80x9cChild seatxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,243 issued on Dec. 9, 1997 to Anthony et al. on a xe2x80x9cChild seat mount with anti-twist web mechanismxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,645 issued May 20, 1997 to Lumley et al. on a xe2x80x9cSafety seat tether strapxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,044 issued on Nov. 14, 1995 to Barley et al. on a xe2x80x9cChild safety seatxe2x80x9d, and; U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,708 issued on Jan. 24, 1995 to Nagasaka et al. on a xe2x80x9cChild seat and anchoring structure for mounting the child seat onto vehicle seatxe2x80x9d.
In summary, the prior art child car seat technology has the disadvantage of requiring two permanently attached installation belts. This results in an added expense for the consumer, as well as an awkwardly bulky child car seat due to the constant presence of an installation belt that is not in use. Any child car seat must satisfy the legal requirement for permanently attachment to the child car seat, but it is desirable to avoid the added expense of needing two installation belts.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to eliminate the added expense by eliminating the need for two permanently attached installation belts.
The present invention eliminates the added expense of needing two installation belts and satisfies the required structural standards for permanent attachment. The applicant invented a child car seat having a single installation belt that is permanently attached to the child car seat by a tether. In addition, the installation belt has an adjustable length and can be used in either set of belt restraining guides.
The present invention provides an improved child car seat, the improvement being only one installation belt designed to accomplish the role of two installation belts but still meeting the requirement of permanent attachment to the child car seat. In this invention, a single installation belt is used for positioning the child car seat in either the forward-facing orientation or the rearward-facing orientation on an automobile seat. The installation belt is permanently attached to the child car seat by a tether having one end attached to the installation belt and another end attached to the child car seat.